The Golden Girl
by Punk Trash Noiz
Summary: Lily Luna Potter has spent her life looking forward to going to Hogwarts. To nobody's surprise, she is sorted into Gryffindor, like her brothers and her parents all had been. Will she be the Gryffindor Golden Girl that everyone expects her to be? AU of my fanfiction Defining Moments.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This prologue is identical to the prologue of my fanfiction Defining Moments, because it's an AU of it, where Lily is in Gryffindor rather than Slytherin. Read the AN at the bottom for more info.**

**Prologue**

Lily Potter couldn't sleep the night before September 1st. She tossed and turned in her bed as she imagined what the next day would bring. She finally managed to fall asleep at around 2 am, but the sleep only lasted for about four hours. When she woke up, she saw it was barely starting to get light outside. She narrowed her eyes at the clock that was showing it was only 6 am. She briefly considered trying to go back to sleep, but she quickly dismissed that thought. She knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. After all, today was the day she was finally going to Hogwarts! After years of having to watch all her siblings and cousins board the Hogwarts Express, she would finally get to go with them.

The red-haired girl hurriedly threw on a muggle outfit to wear to the station. She could just change into her robes after she boarded the train. She pulled on a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Lily had been glad when her mom had let her start choosing her own outfits. No more pink shirts or frilly skirts for her! After dressing, she brushed the tangles out of her hair. She sometimes missed having it short, because it had been simpler to care for. The longer it got, the wavier it got. Still, at least she didn't have Rose's wild mass of curls. It took her cousin ages to brush her hair.

With that done, Lily decided to make sure that she had all of her school supplies. She opened up her trunk and saw her schoolbooks were there. Her robes were there as well. She had a cauldron and ingredients as required. Most importantly, Lily had her wand. It was 10 ½ inches, ivy, with a phoenix feather core. The second it had first touched her hand she had known that she was its witch. She couldn't wait to learn how to properly use it.

As for a pet, she had decided to get an owl. They were very useful, and she thought that they were very beautiful. She had chosen a male barn own, and had named him Nyroc. All in all, she was completely prepared.

By 8 am, her whole family was awake. Her dad made sure that they were all prepared, while her mum cooked them breakfast. They sat down together at the table, and Lily listened to her brothers chatter about Hogwarts while scarfing down food. Lily usually was able to eat as much as them, but today she only managed to eat a piece of toast and nibble on some bacon.

Soon they were finally out the door and on their way to King's Cross station. It didn't take long, for before she knew it, they were at King's Cross Station. Lily's parents helped her unload her trunk and owl into a trolley. She watched her brothers both run through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. She took a moment to gather herself. It was weird to think that this time, once she crossed the barrier, she wouldn't come back through until the start of summer.

Lily felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at her father. "Are you ready, Lil?" he asked her. He gave her an encouraging smile, and she smiled back at him. She always felt safe when she was with her father. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that he was the Wizarding World's hero, and an auror. But to her he was just her dad.

She and her dad went through the barrier together. She smiled when she was greeted with the sight of the Hogwarts Express. She was sure that it had never been that beautiful before.

"Lily!"

Lily looked around, trying to find the source of the familiar voice. A grin lit up her face when she saw Hugo standing with his parents. She left her dad behind as she ran over to her favorite cousin. She skidded to a halt and barely managed to keep her trolley from hitting him.

"Hi, Hugo!" Lily cheerfully greeted him. She looked past him, and beamed at her aunt and uncle. "Hi Uncle Ron, hi Aunt Hermione."

"Hey there, Lils," Uncle Ron said, ruffling her hair. She scowled at him and tried to fix it with her hands.

"Hello, Lily," Aunt Hermione said with an amused smile. "Are you all ready for Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, I am. I made sure this morning that I have everything prepared," Lily answered to her approving aunt.

"I wish Hugo could be that prepared," Aunt Hermione responded. Hugo rolled his eyes.

"Mum, dad, we gotta go," Hugo said in an attempt to stop the conversation. Lily's mum and dad finally came over to their little group. She assumed they had been saying goodbye to James and Al.

"We're going to miss you, Lily," her mum said. Lily felt a pang of sadness at the thought of leaving her parents alone. It would be strange for them not to have any kids around. But maybe they would enjoy getting time away from their kids.

"I'll miss you guys, too," Lily admitted. She really would. She loved her parents very much. But her desire to be at Hogwarts far outweighed her nerves at leaving her parents, so she felt no doubts or regrets.

She and Hugo both patiently let themselves be hugged and kissed and fussed over by their parents. They finally managed to say their goodbyes, and they boarded the train. They searched the compartments, and found one with James, Fred, Rose, and Al. The older kids beckoned them inside the compartment, and Lily and Hugo squeezed in. It was a bit crowded with six of them, but it wasn't that bad.

Lily looked out the window and waved at her parents. She watched them get smaller and smaller as the train left the station. After that, she turned her attention to the conversations going on around her. James and Fred were complaining that they would have to take OWLs this year. Rose and Al were boasting about finally getting to go to Hogsmeade. Then the conversation turned to the two first years.

"So, what houses do you reckon they'll be in?" Fred asked.

"Gryffindor, duh. We all end up there," James answered in a bored tone. Rose rolled her brown eyes at James. Lily could sense that Rose was about to correct him on what he'd said.

"Victoire was in Hufflepuff," Rose began in a matter-of-fact tone. "Lucy is in Hufflepuff, and Dominique is in Ravenclaw. So, Hugo and Lily aren't guaranteed to be in Gryffindor."

James scowled at her, and Lily prepared for an argument to start. Al quickly added in his own opinion, in order to stop the fight before it started. "Well, Lily and Hugo both seem pretty Gryffindor. Besides, I have a feeling that if they really want to be there, that's where they will end up."

"What do you mean?" James asked, his annoyance with Rose completely forgotten.

Al just shrugged, and didn't offer up any explanation to his statement. Lily wondered what he knew that they didn't. Did their desires really factor into the Sorting? That was an interesting thought.

"I dunno, Lil's smart. She could end up in Ravenclaw with Dom," Fred suggested.

Lily sighed. She was beginning to feel annoyed that she and Hugo were being discussed while they were sitting right there. Rose must have heard her, because she turned her attention to Lily.

"Lily, what house do you think you'll be in?" Rose asked her.

Lily opened her mouth to say Gryffindor. After all, she had always imagined that she would end up there, and she thought that was what she wanted. Her parents and grandparents were Gryffindor, and most of her aunts and uncles. So she thought she would naturally end up there. But then some of her cousins had started ending up in different houses, so now she had to wonder. Did she belong in Gryffindor? Did she want to be in Gryffindor? Now she found herself at a loss as to what she should say to Rose. Luckily, she was saved from having to answer by the lady with the candy trolley knocking on their compartment door.

The kids all bought plenty of yummy snacks, and their previous conversation was completely forgotten. After a while, James and Fred got bored of hanging out with their younger siblings and cousins, and the two trouble-makers went off to find the other boys in their year.

At one point, the doors to their compartment opened and revealed a trio of students wearing robes lined with green. The apparent leader of the group was a pale boy with messy blonde hair, and intense grey eyes. His eyes briefly shone with curiosity when they landed on Lily, but then his face turned into a sneer when his eyes landed on Al and Rose.

"Well, look who it is. The stuck-up Weasley, and the wanna-be James," the boy said with a smirk. His friends all looked at them with equally amused looks. Al looked furious at the boy's words.

"Shut up, Malfoy! What are you doing here, anyway?" Al demanded. Lily felt a sense of understanding. This was the infamous Scorpius Malfoy, who her brothers both hated. She looked at him with renewed interest, wanting to see what it was about him that was so bad. His words weren't kind, but not the most harsh words either. Al's voice was far more aggressive than Malfoy's.

"We heard the youngest Potter was finally going to grace Hogwarts with her presence," Malfoy answered. His stormy eyes once again landed on Lily. His face was void of any negative emotion when he looked at her. Was he waiting to form an opinion on her until he knew her?

"Yes, I am. So kind of you to be my welcoming party," Lily said, keeping her voice calm and showing only the tiniest hint of amusement.

"Lily, don't talk to him!" Rose ordered fiercely. "He's a no good jerk. He isn't worth your time." Lily tilted her head to the side slightly, wondering why Rose expected her to hate someone without knowing them. Wasn't that sort of attitude the same that Draco Malfoy had had back when he tried to steer her father away from Uncle Ron?

"What, can't let the girl make her own decisions? Typical bossy Weasley," a tall girl with dirty blond hair said.

"Sod off, Avery," Al sneered. The girl rolled her eyes, but Scorpius looked a bit annoyed now.

"Don't talk to her like that, Potter," Scorpius demanded.

"What, is she your girlfriend?" Al sneered. Now it was apparently Scorpius' turn to roll his eyes.

"Don't be stupid. She's like a sister to me. You wouldn't like it if I was rude to your sister, would you?" Scorpius explained in a voice that one would use to talk to a small child.

"Come on, Scor, we're wasting our time here. Obviously we're not allowed to have a conversation with new Hogwarts students," a boy with brown hair said.

"Guess you're right, Byron," Scorpius said, once again sounding bored. "Catch you later, little Potter."

Lily watched the trio leave the compartment. That had been an interesting encounter. She wasn't sure what she had expected Scorpius Malfoy to be like, but it definitely wasn't that. He was unnecessarily rude to her brother and cousin, but they were just as bad towards him and his friends. She wondered how this enmity had even started. She had never gotten the story of how it happened.

"I hate him so much," Al complained. Rose gave him a sympathetic look.

"Don't let him get to you, Al. You're so much better than him," Rose encouraged.

"Yeah, he seems like a jerk. He didn't even act like I existed," Hugo said with a scowl. It was true, Lily realized. He had verbally sparred with Al and Rose, and had spoken to Lily, but hadn't said a word to Hugo.

"He is. You both need to stay away from him. Stay away from all the Slytherins, if you can help it," Rose encouraged. Lily wondered if all Slytherins could really be that bad. After all, these kids couldn't help who their parents were or what their parents had done. A lot of their parents had been forced into it by their own parents, or were too scared to oppose Voldemort. Surely these innocent kids couldn't be blamed for the mistakes of their parents. Lily had a feeling if she said any of this it would just cause problems between her and her cousins and brothers, so she kept her mouth shut.

Rose kicked the boys out of the compartment so she and Lily could change into their robes. Lily got into the solid black robes and wondered what color would end up lining them. A brief image of her with green-lined robes popped into her head, but she pushed it out. That idea was just ridiculous. She would end up in Gryffindor, and if not, then maybe Ravenclaw. She couldn't be a Slytherin, though. Her family would never forgive her!

The train finally arrived, and Hugo and Lily broke away from their siblings in order to go with the other first years to the boats. Lily smiled when she saw Hagrid. She and Hugo both stopped to say hello to him, and then they got into a boat. They were joined by two different girls they didn't know.

"Hey, I'm Hugo," her cousin broke the silence.

"I'm his cousin, Lily," Lily added.

"My name is Rose," one girl, with raven hair, said. Lily and Hugo exchanged an amused look.

"My sister's name is Rose," Hugo said with a smile. He turned to the other girl, who had slightly curly brown hair.

"I'm Kaira," she said. Her blue eyes had that wide-eyed disbelief that showed that she was likely muggle-born. She gasped as the boats started moving by themselves. She seemed nervous but also very excited. "I still can't believe this is happening."

"Are your parents muggles?" Hugo asked. Kaira nodded.

"What about you, Rose?" Lily asked the other girl.

"My parents are both wizards, but my father is only the second generation in his family to be a wizard. So I'm sort of a half-blood, I guess," Rose answered.

The boats arrived at the shore, and the students all eagerly drank in the sight of Hogwarts. Lily couldn't believe how amazing it was. The pictures she had seen, and the descriptions from family members, truly did not do it justice. She was filled with a desire to explore every inch of the castle.

The children were shepherded into the castle. Lily could hear snippets of different conversations as students tried to figure out how the Sorting worked. She already knew, but she wouldn't say anything unless she was asked.

Uncle Neville, or Professor Longbottom as she would now have to call him, came into the room the students were waiting in. Lily listened as he explained the purpose of houses to them. She looked around, and saw that some kids seemed confident, some seemed unsure, and some seemed downright terrified. She wondered what her expression looked like, and she worked to try and make it seem calm.

Finally, Professor Longbottom led them into the Great Hall. Lily immediately looked up at the ceiling, and felt appreciation at the complex charm that allowed the ceiling to reflect the weather outside. She loved the look of shock of some people's faces. She saw that Kaira looked amazed. Then Lily scanned the four tables, and saw all the talking students. Many of them were watching the first years. Finally, her gaze landed on the Sorting Hat.

The Sorting Hat sang its song, and then Professor Longbottom pulled out a list of names. The Great Hall was mostly silent, as everyone was interested to see who would be joining their house.

"Avery, Alana."

Lily watched a slightly nervous looking girl with light brown hair go up to the stool. She sat down, and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. After a moment, it declared "SLYTHERIN", and Alana happily hopped down from the stool after removing the hat, and she walked to the cheering table of students. Lily watched as students were sorted into the four houses. Kaira Bennett got sent to Gryffindor. Finally, she heard: "Potter, Lily". The students that had been quietly talking all fell quiet, and Lily saw that all attention was on her.

She tried to keep her face blank as she approached the stool. She sat down on it, and tried not to pay attention to the hundreds of eyes that were focused on her. The hat was placed on her head, and Lily waited to hear a house name get shouted.

"Ah, the last of the Potter children. Where to put you? Gryffindor would seem the obvious choice, and it definitely would suit you," the hat's voice was spoken inside her head. Lily shivered, and wondered why the hat hadn't immediately placed her in Gryffindor.

"You see, Miss Potter, you are equally suited for both Gryffindor, and Slytherin. You undoubtedly have courage. But you've also been in the shadow of all your family members. You, the baby of the family, want to stand out and be different. You haven't fully acknowledged this desire, but you know it's there," the hat told her. So now what would happen? "That depends on you. Wherever you most want to go is where you belong."

Lily was feeling a bit panicked. People were starting to whisper, since a name hadn't been shouted right away. A few other students had taken a while, but everyone had expected a Potter to go to Gryffindor. She saw the expectant faces of her brothers, and she didn't know what to do. She knew she would love Gryffindor, and fit in there well. She would be with her family, and she would always be sure of her place. But, at the same time, she felt a certain draw towards Slytherin. None of her cousins or siblings had been sorted there. She would be the first, and she could make herself known for being Lily, and not for being a Potter.

Lily shut her eyes, and came to a conclusion. She knew where she wanted to go.

"Very well, then. It'll be…."

**A/N: Originally, in my fanfiction Defining Moments, each chapter was going to alternate between Lily being in Gryffindor, and Lily being in Slytherin. But I soon realized it could get confusing constantly switching back and forth, and it would take forever to finish. I decided to make DM only about her life in Slytherin. My friend, Cat, convinced me not to totally abandon the story of Lily being in Gryffindor, and she suggested I make it a separate fanfiction. So that's what I'm doing. I don't know how often this will be updated, since I want to get DM finished, but once DM is completed I can focus on this fanfiction.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's the first chapter! It was beta'd my xHetaliax.**

**Gryffindor: Chapter 1**

"Very well, then," the hat said within Lily's mind. "It'll be… GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily removed the hat from her head and set it carefully on the stool. She then turned to face the four tables, and began walking towards the cheering Gryffindors. They cheered more loudly for her than they had for any of their other new members. The other tables clapped politely, with the exception of Slytherin. She glanced at that table, and caught Scorpius Malfoy's eye. He nodded at her, with his face carefully blank. However, she thought she saw the faintest hint of disappointment.

She tore her eyes away from him and took a seat at the table next to Kaira. The other girl smiled at her, and Lily smiled back. She saw her brothers both looked proud, and all her Gryffindor cousins seemed pleased. Lily hoped that she had made the right decision. She knew there was no going back now, so she would have to stop thinking about Slytherin. Besides, she felt happy here, surrounded by her family.

Across from Lily was a friend of her's, Belle Longbottom. Belle seemed really happy that Lily had been sorted into Gryffindor. Belle's older sister, Anna, was a Hufflepuff, so Lily knew Belle might be nervous about not being with her older sister. Having a friend with her must be relieving.

After Lily, Gryffindor gained Jasmine Reed and Ellie Thomas. Lily had met Ellie once before, and she knew that their fathers had been friends. Plus, James was friends with Ellie's brother Adam. Lily didn't know Jasmine, though. Soon, there were only three more kids left to be sorted: Rose, Hugo, and a boy she didn't recognize. Lily had assumed that Hugo would be last, but apparently the other two had last names that were at the end of the alphabet. Hugo's name was called, and the hat barely touched his head before declaring him to be "GRYFFINDOR". Lily cheered loudly for her cousin, and made room for him to sit next to her. He seemed very pleased to be in Gryffindor.

Rose, whose last name was apparently Wilde, got sorted into Slytherin. Lily watched the girl go to the Slytherin table, and wondered if she and Rose would have become friends if Lily had picked Slytherin. She supposed they could still be friends, but she knew the house rivalry would likely prevent that from happening. She chose not to dwell on it; after all, she already knew the people in Gryffindor and would have plenty of friends. The last person sorted was Gilbert Zabini, and he went to Slytherin.

The Headmaster, Kingsley Shacklebolt, stood up once the Sorting was over. He had been Minister of Magic for many years after the war had ended, and he had made many changes to the Ministry. Once he had cleaned it up and reformed it, he stepped down and chose to work at Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He had been appointed as Deputy Headmaster, since he had experience with leading. He became the Headmaster three years ago.

Everyone started to quiet down when Professor Shacklebolt rose from his seat. The ones still talking quickly shut up when he raised his arm for silence.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to another year at Hogwarts," the professor said in his slow, soothing voice. "To those of you who are new here, there are a few things you need to know: the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to students, as its name suggests; and there are certain products that are not

allowed at Hogwarts. A list of said products can be found hanging from the door of our caretaker, Mr. Filch. You will receive your schedules tomorrow. If you have any questions, you can ask your Prefects, who can be identified by their badges. Now, it is time to enjoy your feast." He smiled at the students, and once he reclaimed his seat, food appeared on the table.

Lily's eyes widened at the mass of food displayed on the table. Her brothers really hadn't been kidding when they had described the Welcoming Feast to her. She found that her normal appetite had returned to her, so she piled food onto her plate. She gladly dug into her meal, as did the other students.

Once people's stomachs began to fill, conversations were once again struck up.

"What's in the Forbidden Forest that makes it forbidden?" Jasmine, one of the first years, asked. Lily surmised that she was muggle-born, just like Kaira.

"Oh, there's loads of dangerous stuff!" Hugo said, with his mouth still half-full with food. Lily wrinkled her nose at his lack of manners.

"Hugo, swallow your food before speaking!" Rose, who was sitting not too far from them, scolded her brother. His face reddened slightly due to his older sister scolding him in front of everyone. Lily marveled at Rose's ability to always catch Hugo when he was doing something she wouldn't approve of.

"What are the dangerous things in there?" Kaira asked quickly. Hugo's embarrassment was forgotten as he began describing all the things they had heard about from the stories their parents had told them. Kaira and Jasmine's eyes widened when he described the nest of giant spiders. Even Ellie Thomas seemed surprised.

"I heard that James Potter and his friends went in there on a dare," Clint Grayson, another new student, said.

"Where'd you hear that from?" Hugo asked. Apparently he had never heard about this. Lily hadn't, either.

"My older sister is friends with him. They're both on the Quidditch team," Clint responded. Lily couldn't help but wonder what other things James had done that she didn't know about.

"Who dared him?" Lily asked.

"Scorpius Malfoy and some other Slytherins, I think," Clint said, sounding a bit unsure. The rivalry between her brothers and Scorpius was more intense than Lily would have thought. She apparently had a lot to learn about what went on here at Hogwarts. She was not nearly as prepared as she had thought. Still, the thought didn't really upset her. She felt excited to see what would happen during her time here.

Lily once again saw surprise on the faces of fellow students when the main courses disappeared, and dessert appeared in its place. The red-haired girl gave the desserts a skeptical look. She felt completely full from all the food, but she supposed she could have a bit of dessert. She helped herself to some mint

chocolate chip ice cream. Hugo made a face at her, and reached for the chocolate ice cream, which he always insisted was much better than mint chocolate chip.

Soon the desserts were cleared away as well, and everyone looked up at the Headmaster. "Before you all go off to bed, I must ask you to partake in the Hogwarts tradition of singing the school song," Shacklebolt said.

Lily raised an eyebrow as she saw the lyrics appear in the air for everyone to read. She couldn't help but wonder who came up with the school song. Still, it seemed to fit the school well enough. She picked a random tune and sang the song. James and Fred both sang obnoxiously loud, and she saw they had a few annoyed looks thrown at them. They either didn't notice or didn't care, as they kept singing loudly and off-key. She was relieved when the song ended and she didn't have to listen to the screeching any longer. She and Belle exchanged amused looks.

"Hey, firsties! Follow me and the lovely Ciara, alright?" a boy that Lily recognized as Adam Thomas said as he left his friends. He had a Prefect badge pinned to his robes. He was being followed by another Prefect, presumably Ciara. She didn't look amused at his words.

"Please, children, just ignore everything he says. I don't know how he was even made a Prefect, but there wasn't much to choose from," Ciara said, casting a look at Fred and James, two of the other 5th year Gryffindor boys.

Lily had been kind of surprised when James hadn't been made Prefect. Weasleys had a habit of being picked as Prefects, and she had thought that him being the son of Harry Potter would be enough for him to be chosen. But apparently even the Potter name wasn't enough to let Shacklebolt overlook all his faults and trouble-making tendencies. Lily was pretty sure Al would be one in a couple of years, though.

Lily and the other first years followed the Prefects to the Gryffindor common room. She inspected the painting of the fat lady, and almost didn't hear the password spoken because she wasn't paying attention.

"Quidditch," Ciara spoke to the portrait.

"I got to pick the password," Adam said proudly. Ciara rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes, so clever, picking your obsession as your password," Ciara said with a sigh. Lily wondered if they were ever going to go inside of the common room.

"Nah, it's just a passion. My obsession would be you," Adam responded with a confident smirk. Ciara looked unimpressed. Lily would feel bad for Adam, except his overconfidence reminded her too much of James, and James was pretty annoying. So instead she chose to feel bad for Ciara.

"Adam, just shut up and let us go inside," Ellie Thomas demanded. A few of the kids snickered, and Adam scowled at his little sister. Before he could respond, Ciara shoved him through the portrait hole. "Hm, I like her," Ellie said. She seemed gleeful at the idea that her older brother got pushed around by a

girl all the time. Lily would likely act the same in that situation. She wondered how girls acted towards her brother.

The first years finally entered the common room. It was just how Lily had heard it described by various Gryffindor family members. It had a warm, homey feeling to it. The color red was naturally prevalent throughout the common room. Lily wasn't sure how to feel about her new House colours. She had been surrounded by a sea of red her whole life, and now she was stuck with red decorations everywhere. Sure, she liked the color, since it was her hair color after all. But that didn't mean she wanted to see it everywhere.

"Welcome to Gryffindor," Ciara addressed the first years. "The boys dormitories are on the left, and the girls on the right. Just to warn you, boys can't go up the staircase to the girl's dormitories. Certain people have had to learn the hard way."

Adam snorted and muttered what sounded like James. Lily decided she really did not want to know. She just hoped he was treating girls right, because if he wasn't… she didn't want to think what her mother would do to him.

"Also, as you were told earlier, you can both earn and lose points for our house. Please try to earn them, and don't do anything stupid enough to lose any," Ciara begged them. "It's a miracle we won the house cup last year, considering how many points James and Fred lost us."

"Yeah, what she said. More importantly, make sure you show your support for our Quidditch team. Actually, if any of you are good at it, you should watch this year's tryouts so you know what to prepare for if you want to try out next year," Adam said. His eyes landed on Lily. "James said you're a good flyer, so you definitely should watch the tryouts."

Lily was surprised that her brother had even thought to talk about her with his friends. She and him weren't really close, they hadn't been for years. But apparently he paid enough attention to her to know she could fly.

"Alright, I'll be there," Lily agreed. Maybe she could try out next year. She preferred playing Seeker, but since Al already had that position she would have to settle for Chaser.

"Okay, enough about Quidditch. Back to things that are actually important," Ciara cut in. "If you have questions, you can ask us. Well, ask me, not him. Unless you want to know about Quidditch, I guess."

"Oh, quick warning. Slytherins are evil, so stay away from them, especially Malfoy and his gang. If any of you have older siblings, you'll be more likely to be targets," Adam said, with a pointed look at Lily. She sighed, and wished that people didn't take this House rivalry so seriously.

For once, Ciara didn't disagree with Adam. She actually nodded in agreement with his statement. "Well, with that happy note, off to bed," she told the first years.

Lily and the other girls broke off from the boys and headed up the staircase on the right. They passed the rooms until they saw the one labelled for first years. They went inside, and Lily saw that her trunk was next to the bed across from the door. She changed into her pajamas, and climbed onto the comfortable bed.

After the long day she'd had, it was no wonder that she fell asleep quickly. Her last thought before falling asleep was wondering what the next day would bring.

**A/N: Please review! **


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Edited by my friend Cat.**

**Chapter 2**

Lily felt momentarily confused when she woke up in a bed that felt unfamiliar. Once she looked around, the memories of the day before came flooding back, and she remembered that she was at Hogwarts now. That thought alone brought a small smile to her face, unable to believe that she was finally here. She hoped that her parents wouldn't be too lonely without any kids at home, but she herself was feeling no doubts or apprehension about being at Hogwarts. This was where she belonged, and she knew it.

She grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom so she could shower and change. She passed by Belle Longbottom, her childhood friend. She could tell from the girl's wet hair that she had just showered.

"Good morning, Lily!" Belle greeted her with a friendly smile. Lily smiled back at the other girl. She was happy to see that Belle was in good spirits. She knew that Belle had been a bit nervous about going to Hogwarts, but she seemed fine now.

"Morning, Belle," Lily responded.

The hot water of the shower helped energize her, and it wiped away any last remnants of sleepiness. By the time Lily emerged from the bathroom, she felt fully prepared for her first full day at Hogwarts. She looked around her room, and saw the only other occupant of it was Kaira, who was sitting on her bed. She hopped to her feet when she saw Lily.

"Hi, Lily. The other girls already went down to breakfast, but I thought I should wait for you," Kaira told her.

"Oh, thanks. You didn't have to do that," Lily answered as they left their dormitory.

"I didn't mind. Besides, you're the only person I really know so far," Kaira pointed out.

It was harder than Lily thought it would be to make their way down to the Great Hall. She hadn't paid enough attention to the route they had taken to get to the common room, so she didn't exactly remember how to go back to the Great Hall. She was suddenly very thankful that Kaira had waited for her, because it was better to be lost with a friend than to be lost by herself.

The two girls managed to find their way to the Great Hall after a few wrong turns. Lily hoped it wouldn't take too long to become familiar with getting to and from the common room. She and Kaira made their way to the Gryffindor table, and sat down next to the other first year girls.

Hugo came to breakfast a few minutes after Lily, and he sat down next to her. "Morning, Lils," Hugo said to her as he piled food onto his plate.

"Hi, Hugh," she said in return. That was all the conversation she got out of him, as he became focused on eating. She was glad to see that although she was in an unfamiliar place, there were still familiar things going on.

Professor Longbottom went around the table, handing students their schedules. Lily eagerly looked at hers. Apparently she would have Potions first. She knew that her father had hated that class, but that had mostly been due to the teacher. From what she knew, her father hadn't hated Potions the last year he took it, because Professor Slughorn wasn't mean. He apparently really liked her father. So she thought maybe she could enjoy the class.

"Lily, Hugo," a familiar voice was heard from behind Lily. She and Hugo turned around to see their cousin Molly standing behind them, with her Head Girl badge pinned to her chest. She looked every bit as prim as proper as usual.

"Hey, Mol," Hugo answered. Molly's nose wrinkled in distaste at the nickname, but Hugo was completely unapologetic. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you two were settling in alright. I felt it was my duty as your cousin, as Head Girl," Molly answered curtly. "I also want to make sure that you understand the rules, and have no intention of getting in trouble. You haven't exactly had the best role models, after all." She looked over at James and Fred when she said the last statement.

"Don't worry, we understood all the rules perfectly fine," Lily assured her with a sigh. "I don't have any plans of getting in trouble, but I can't promise that I won't."

"Yeah, what she said," Hugo said in a bored tone.

"Very well then," Molly sniffed. "I see that is the best I am going to get out of you. Enjoy your classes." With that said, she turned and walked further down the table to where Rose and Al were.

"Wow, that girl is your cousin?" Kaira asked. Lily nodded.

"One of many," Lily said.

"Lily's family is huge," Anna explained.

"My mom has five brothers, and four of them had children. Most of my cousins are all here at Hogwarts. Victoire is the only one who's graduated. Hugo and I are the youngest," Lily elaborated.

"So how many cousins do you have here?" Jasmine Reed, one of Lily's dorm mates, asked.

"Hm. There's Molly, Roxanne, Lucy, Fred, Louis, Rose, Dominique, and Hugo. I also have two brothers that go here, James and Albus. But don't call him that, he likes to be called Al," Lily answered. Kaira and Jasmine seemed shocked at the amount of cousins and siblings she had, and they were all in this castle.

"I can't blame him, either. Your dad was mental for naming him that," Hugo said.

The first years finished eating, and they went back to the common room to get the books they would need for that day. Lily couldn't wait to start her classes. She knew her attitude would likely change once she ended up with a lot of homework assignments, but at the moment she didn't care about that. She hoped that she would do well in all of her classes.

Lily and the other first years made their way down to the dungeons. Some of her friends seemed nervous about the fact that they had double Potions with the Slytherins. Lily wasn't as worried as them, although she was curious to see what would happen. The door to the classroom wasn't open yet, and the Slytherin first years were milling about. She saw some of them were talking and laughing, but they stopped once the Gryffindors came into their field of view. She watched as the Gryffindors and Slytherins looked warily at each other.

"What are you looking at, snakes?" Gavin Banks, a Gryffindor boy, was the first to speak. His tone was challenging, although he sounded somewhat uncertain.

"Definitely not at you, since none of us want to see your ugly face," a Slytherin girl with long, blonde hair shot back.

"You're one to talk. You're hideous," Drake Manning said, defending his dorm mate.

"Insulting girls isn't very chivalrous. You sure you're in the right house?" a Slytherin boy that Lily recognized as Gilbert Zabini said.

"Wow, Gil, you're really defending Ava?" a different Slytherin girl said with an amused look on her face. Gilbert made a disgusted face when he realized she was right. Ava sneered at him.

Thankfully, the door opened before they could get back to arguing with the Gryffindors. Professor Slughorn looked at the first years and smiled at them.

"Welcome, students. Come on in," he greeted them. He stepped aside in order to allow the first years to enter. The Slytherins went to the left, so the Gryffindors stuck to the right side of the room. Lily went and took a seat at the front of the room, while many others took seats in the back. Anna looked like she was going to follow Lily, but seemed to change her mind, and instead went to sit with Ellie. Lily began to wonder if she was going to be alone when Kaira sat next to her.

"I don't mind sitting in the front. I don't know why other people do," Kaira commented.

"I really don't know," Lily agreed.

"Good morning, everyone," Slughorn began. "I know that a lot of you won't end up feeling passionate about potions, but I hope that there are a few of you who possess a natural talent. Potion making is a complex art, though you will start off with simple potions. Before we do anything, today, I'll need to call role."

He began reading through the names on the list, and would occasionally question someone about their family. He took an interest in Gavin Banks, because Gavin's brother Christopher was one of Gryffindor's prefects, and Clint Grayson, whose sister Allie was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. When he got to Lily's name, his face lit up.

"Lily Potter! I was great friends with your grandmother, who you're named after. She was one of my best students. Your father also had some talent with potions. Your mother excels at hexes, if I remember correctly. Both of your parents were very talented," Slughorn told her.

"Thank you, Professor," Lily responded.

"I do hope you'll have Lily Evans' skills at potion making. Your brother Albus makes acceptable potions, and James... well, his are passable. But neither of them have true skill," Slughorn said, sounding disappointed. "Of course, they have other talents. But still, it would be great if one of you three could be good at potions."

"Well, sir, I'll try my best," Lily answered with a smile. She felt embarrassed at him making such a big deal about her, but she was glad that he seemed interested in her abilities.

Thankfully, he moved on, and Lily got to watch as he questioned Hugo. Slughorn praised Hermione's skills, and said how Rose was just as talented as her. Lily could see that Hugo was annoyed, and she didn't blame him. He was always being compared to Rose, which couldn't be easy.

Lily was a bit disappointed that they didn't make any potions that day. Instead, Slughorn explained the curriculum for the school year, and then asked them questions to see if they had any pre-existing knowledge of potions. A few of them, like Lily, had skimmed the book, and so were able to answer a question here and there.

Lily's next class was Herbology, with Professor Longbottom. Lily couldn't say that she had very much interest in the subject, but she was prepared to pay attention and try her best. After all, Longbottom had always been a close friend of her family, so she would treat him and his class with respect.

By the end of Herbology, she decided that she would never be actively interested in the subject, but she would like the class. Professor Longbottom was a good and patient teacher, and he truly had passion for what he taught. The Gryffindors had the class with Hufflepuff, which meant that Lily wouldn't need to worry about anyone getting into fights.

Lily and the other first years all headed to lunch after Herbology. She and Hugo were about to sit down with the other first years, but Rose and Al, who were sitting farther down the table, waved them over. She and her cousin looked at each other, and then Hugo shrugged and started walking over to the pair of third years. Lily followed him.

"Hi Hugo, hi Lily. How are you two doing?" Rose asked as the two younger students sat down.

"Fine, I guess. The classes today were boring," Hugo answered. "Slughorn's weird, and

Herbology is kind of dumb."

"Hugo, you shouldn't insult your professor," Rose scolded. "He's fine once you get used to him, anyway."

"I didn't mind the classes today. I'm actually kind of excited to try making a potion," Lily admitted. She didn't want Rose to get too excited and think that Lily was going to be some sort of super student like her, but she also wanted to voice her opinion on her classes.

"Potions isn't that great, Lily," Al told her. "So don't get too excited. It's not super difficult if you follow the instructions, but it isn't easy either."

"Al, don't try to turn her against a class she's interested in. I think Potions is interesting, and I bet Lily will be great at it," Rose said. Lily smiled at her cousin. She was glad that Rose seemed to have faith in her.

The conversation slowed down as they all began eating. Lily was curious to hear about their classes. They sounded a lot more interesting than the first year classes. She listened to Rose and Al describe their day, though she noticed that Hugo seemed a bit bored.

After lunch, she and Hugo began heading to their next class, Transfiguration. As they left the Great Hall, she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Lysander and Lorcan Scamander walking with her cousin Dominique. She slowed down so they could reach her, and she told Hugo she would meet him at their class. He agreed and ran to catch up with Gavin and Clint.

"Hey there, Lil!" Lorcan said to her as he ruffled her hair. She stuck her tongue out at the 3rd year Ravenclawn. He and his brother were the sons of Luna, a close family friend. Lily's middle name was picked because of Luna.

"Hey, Lor," she responded. "Hi Ly, hi Dom."

"Hi, Lily," Lysander replied in his usual soft voice. He was the quieter one of the two brothers.

"Hey, Lily," Dominique said in a bored voice. Dominique always looked unimpressed with everyone and everything. She was known as the bitch out of all the kids in their family, but Lily had started getting along with her during the last couple of years. Dominique was the only Weasley besides Victoire who was not in Gryffindor. Lily had been surprised at first to learn of Dominique's sorting into Ravenclaw, but when she thought about it, it had made sense.

"How are all of you?" Lily asked them.

"Great! This year is gonna be so awesome. Ly and I are going to try out for the Quidditch team again, and this year we get to go to Hogsmeade," Lorcan answered excitedly. The year before, he had made it onto his House team as a Beater, and his brother made it as a Chaser.

"I'm going to try out, too. I'm old enough now," Dominique said. Her siblings both hadn't had very much interest in Quidditch, but she was the odd one out of the three. She was the only one of the three to get the Weasley red hair. Vic and Louis both got Fleur's blonde hair. Still, with Dom's veela genes, she would likely turn out stunning when she grew up.

"What position do you want to play?" Lily asked. She figured Dominique would either pick Chaser or Seeker.

"Chaser. It's what I'm best at, and one of last year's Chasers graduated," Dominique answered.

"Well, I hope you make it. I bet you will, though. It seems like all of our family members that try out make it," Lily said. "Anyway, I have to get to class. It was nice talking to you three!"

"Yeah, you don't want to be late," Lorcan agreed. "Later, Lil!"

She hugged the three of them, and then hurried to make it to Transfiguration. She realized she didn't exactly know where she was going, so she ended up having to ask some of the portaits for directions. By the time she found the classroom, she was 2 or 3 minutes late. She hurried into the classroom and tried to slink towards the back of the room without being noticed, but of course her mane of red hair was impossible to miss.

"Miss Potter, do you care to explain why you are late?" Professor Harris asked in a stern voice. She froze and turned around to face him.

"I got lost, sir. I promise not to be late again," Lily told him. He gave her a calculating look, and then nodded.

"Since it's still the first day of term, I will let it slide this time. However, you should know that I won't tolerate tardiness in my class," Harris told her.

"Yes, Professor," Lily answered.

"Take a seat," he told her. She hurriedly sat down at the nearest open spot, next to her Housemate Laden Daniels.

She listened as the professor gave an overview of Transfiguration, and of the things they would get to learn. He then explained the first thing they were going to learn, which was turning a matchstick into a needle. He gave them matchsticks to use, and then told them to start trying the spell.

"So, how come you didn't come to class with your cousin?" Landen asked her as she practiced the wand movement needed.

"I was saying hello to one of my other cousins, and two close family friends," Lily explained. She watched as Landen practiced the wand movement, and resisted the urge to correct him when he did it wrong.

"Oh, alright. You're lucky you didn't lose house points," he teased.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to start of my first year by losing points on the first day. My surname can only carry me so far," Lily said with a small smile.

They practiced the spell, but neither of them were all that successful. Lily supposed that her matchstick was starting to look gray, so that was a start. Still, she was glad that she finally got to use her wand. She couldn't wait for Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, but sadly she didn't have either of those until tomorrow. She had to end her day with History of Magic.

"Hey, Lil! Wake up!" she felt someone shaking her and she blinked open her eyes.

"Come on, class is over," Hugo told her. She looked around dazedly and then realized she was in History of Magic. She hadn't realized that she would get bored enough to fall asleep!

"Did I miss anything important?" Lily asked, feeling worried.

"No, not really. I took some notes, though, so you can copy them later," Belle interjected. Lily

smiled gratefully at the other girl.

"Thanks, Belle," Lily told her.

"You're welcome," Belle answered.

"Great, now can we go to dinner? I'm starving," Hugo complained. The two girls rolled their eyes and followed the red haired boy.

Dinner was a cheerful affair. Everyone was in good spirits after their first real day of the term. Lily chatted with her friends as they all filled up on delicious food. She decided not to be too surprised when James and Fred came and sat down on their side of her (with James making Hugo move). It seemed like all her relatives would feel the need to talk to her today. Although, she wouldn't have really expected these two to come see her.

"Look who it is, it's my favorite sister," James said with a smirk.

"I'm your only sister," Lily sighed. She wondered what they wanted.

"So? You're still my favorite," James said with a shrug.

"What are you two doing here?" Lily demanded. "I thought you'd be too busy being popular to come sit with first years."

"We do have busy lives," Fred agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can't make time for the baby of the family." Lily scowled and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Baby sister, we've heard some interesting things. We heard that you were late to a class, and slept through another one. All on your first day of school!" James dramatically said.

"We wanted to tell you that we're proud of you. Keep up the good work," Fred continued.

"Remember, we're your role models. Look to us to see ways of being a slacker and trouble-maker," James finished. "That's all. Have fun, Little Lily."

They both stood up and went back to their original seats. Lily stared after them in disbelief, and then shook her head. "I'll never understand them," she decided.

"Your cousin is hot," Jasmine commented, staring at Fred.

"Ew, why? He's four years older than you," Lily said. Jasmine shrugged.

"So? Doesn't mean I can't look," Jasmine responded. Lily made a disgusted face, and then focused on eating her food. She would just have to pretend that Jasmine hadn't said that. She really didn't want to think about it.

The next day Lily got to experience classes that required wand use. She started off the day with Charms, which was a lot of fun. Professor Flitwick seemed like a nice teacher, and he was very enthusiastic. She had a feeling that she would like that class. They had the class with Ravenclaw, and Lily had been surprised to see a Ravenclaw girl that looked a lot like Ava from Slytherin. She hadn't been paying that much attention to all the first years in the Sorting, so maybe she had missed the fact that the rude Slytherin girl had a sister, or cousin, or something. The Ravenclaw girl was very quiet and she seemed to keep to herself.

Her next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Montgomery was a strict, no nonsense teacher, but the subject was very interesting. Lily supposed she could like the class despite the fact that their teacher wasn't the nicest person.

After lunch that day they had a study hall period. Lily was torn between doing her homework, and talking with her friends. Ultimately she decided it was best to just get the homework over with. She noticed that the boys were all deciding to goof off rather than do their homework. She had a feeling they would end up doing it at the last minute.

Lily felt satisfied when she got her homework done, and with an hour to spare before it was time for dinner. She glanced around at the common room as she tried to decide what to do. She saw Hugo and the other boys were playing a game of Exploding Snap, but she didn't feel particularly inclined to play at the moment. She gathered up her materials and went to her room to put them away. As she was putting away her unused parchment, she hesitated. She knew her parents would want her to write to them soon. James hardly ever wrote, and Al had started writing to them less and less.

So she wrote them a letter, detailing all the important things that had happened. Of course, she left out the details that they would be unhappy to hear, such as her falling asleep in History of Magic. While she knew they would be sympathetic as to how boring the class was, she also knew they wouldn't find falling asleep in it to be an acceptable solution. Besides, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Once Lily finished her letter, she put away her supplies, and the letter. She would take it to the Owlery tomorrow.

That night the first years had Astronomy. They were all grumbling at having to be outside at night. Lily knew they would all rather be sleeping. Still, she forced herself to stay awake and pay attention. Falling asleep in one class was bad enough; she couldn't allow herself to do it again. Besides… the stars were very pretty.

**Author's Note 2: This had already been written before I decided to separate the stories. There probably won't be updates to this fanfiction for a while, since I want to focus on Defining Moments, and on my crossover fanfiction, Harry Winchester. But I do intend to finish this fanfiction. **


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